An update on the continuing success of Rotary International's Polio Plus Program
The paralysing and sometimes deadly virus that has robbed so many millions of our children of productive futures.
The last reported polio case – a young girl in West Bengal – was recorded on Jan. 13, 2011. In February 2012, the World Health Organization removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries, a historic achievement given that until very recently, India was considered the epicenter of the disease and had been predicted to be the last country to stop polio.
Today, the wild polio virus circulates in only three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and our neighbour, Pakistan, where the polio eradication campaign has been in the news lately, but, unfortunately, not because of the impressive 65% reduction in cases Pakistan has achieved since 2011.
Cultural misconceptions are one of many challenges we face as we close in on our goal of global eradication, along with poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, poor sanitation, extreme population densities, inadequate infrastructure, geographical isolation — the list goes on.
Members of India’s Rotary clubs are very familiar with all of these challenges, including the problem of vaccination refusals by parents in Muslim communities.
Over the last year we have been sharing our experiences with our friends in Pakistan in the hope our success can contribute to successful resolution of the issue there.
By ASHOK MAHAJAN , The New York Times. Monday 14 January 2013. http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/lessons-from-india-how-to-promote-the-polio-vaccine-in-pakistan/